Scraper



Mar ch 30', 194

c. FRENCH SCRAPER Original Fild Sept. 9, 1939 3 Shets-Sheet l mlffffz/ATTORNEY.

March 30, 1943. H. c. FRENCH SCRAPER Original Filed Sept.- 9, 1959 3Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOR March 30, 1943. H. C.VFREN"CH' SCRAPER OriginalFiledSept. 9,];939

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 30, 1943 UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE soaam Henry 0. French,Elm Grove, Wia, assignor to The Hell 00., Milwaukee, Wis a corporationof Wisconsin Original application September 9, 1939. Serial No.

294,047. Divided and this her 9, 1949, Serial No. 369,234

1 Claims. (Ci. 37-126) The present invention relates in general toimprovements in the art of dirt moving, and relates more specifically toimprovements in the construction and operation of scrapers for digging,

hauling and spreading earth or the like, and this application is adivision of my co-pending application SerialNumber 294,047, filedSeptember 9, 1939, now Patent No. 2,280,696.

Generally defined, an object of the invention unload the dirt confiningbowl, with relatively simple mechanism.

To provide a sturdy and durablescraper assemblage which may be readilyconstructed of sheet metal and standard bar stock or the like, atrelatively low cost.

To provide an improved scraper of the Jackknife frame type, and improvedmechanism for relatively moving the front and rear articulable framesections.

,To'provide various other improvements in the construction and,operation of dig and carry scrapers whereby the cost of construction andoperation is reduced to a minimum, and which scrapersare operable withmaximum eificiency and capacity under most adverse conditions.

A clear conception of the features constituting my present invention,and of the mode of constructing and of assembling a scraper built inaccordance with the improvement, may be had by referring to the drawingsaccompanying, and forming a part of this specification, wherein likereference characters designate the same or similar parts in thevariousviews.

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section through one of the improvedscrapers, showing the parts in normal cutting and loading position;

Fig. 2 is a similar longitudinal sectional view showing the] parts inload carrying or'transport ing position;

Fig. 3 is another similar longitudinal sectional view, showing the partsin load discharging and spreading position; and

l and carry road scraper shown therein, comprises application Decem-Fig. 4 is a partially schematic top view illustrating the reevingsystem.

While the improvements have been specifically embodied in a two cableactuated dig and carry road scraper of large capacity having a tiltableload supporting bottom plate cooperable with a pivotally suspended frontapron, it is not the intent to thereby unnecessarily restrict the scopeor utility of the invention, 7 Referring to the drawings, the improveddig in general, a rugged front frame |l transportable by and swingablysuspended from a front wheel supported carriage H and having laterallyseparated rearwardly extending integral side arms l2; a rugged rearframe I! transportable by and swingably suspended from a rear wheelsupported carriage l4, and having laterally separated forwardlyextending integral opposite side walls Ii, disposed between the rearends of the front frame arms 1| 2 and rigidly interconnected by means ofcross-beams II, H, II, II; alined pivots 20 articulably interconnectingthe rear ends of the front frame arms 12 with the medial lower outerportions of the rear frame side walls ll slightly above the cross-beaml1; an L-shaped load supporting plate 2| pivotally suspended at itsfront portion from the rear frame l3 near the cross-beam H by means of apivot shaft 22, and

having an upwardly projecting rear portion 24 cooperable with the rearbeams I8, is to support the load; a front load confining apron 25 havingintegral side arms 26 located between and swingably suspended from theupper inner portions of the side walls I! by means. of alined pivot pins21, and-being cooperable witha cutting blade 28 mounted on thecross-beam i1, and with the side Walls II to normally confine the loadsupon the bottom plate 2|; a rigid frame articulating lever 29 swingablysuspended at its medial portion from the front frame I! by means oi!v apivot shaft II and having its rear end connected to the medial portionof the front cross-beam l6 of the rear frame H! by means of links 2| andpivot pins 32, I3; mechanism for effecting actuation of the plate 2| andof the apron 25 to swing these elehments about their suspension pivots;and other mechanism cooperating withthe lever 29 for bodily raising andlowering the plate 2|, apron 25 and blade 28. I

,The frames i0, I3, plate 2|, apron 25, and lever 29 may be formed ofrigid sheet metal plate welded or otherwise flrmly' united; and thefront frame l0 and carriage H are transportable on rubber tired wheels34 which normally travel in front er and centrally of the path ofscraping and thereby providing a stable transportable support for thescraper unit. The front carriage H is preferably provided with asuitable draw bar adapted for convenient attachment to a tractor, andthe rear carriage ll may be provided with I a pusher pad forfacilitating advancement of the scraper by means of a power unit appliedto the rear of the assemblage. The. front frame II is of box-beamconstruction and must be of sumcient height to clear the carriage II andwheels 34 when these elements are swung about their vertical axis forsteering and lateral guiding, and the lever supporting pivot shaft II ismounted upon a bracket 38 secured to the upper crossbeam of the frameII. The rear frame ll is swingabiy suspended from the-axle of the rearcarriage I so as to swing only in a vertical plane and not laterally ofthe wheels II, and the opposite side walls I! of the frame it may bereinforced by external ribs 3! in order to avoid deflection thereof.These parallel vertical walls II are moreover rigidly united by thecross-beams I, l1, I8, I! which are welded or otherwise nrmly attachedthereto, and the space between the lower beams l'l,- I! is open in orderto permit material which may escape pastthe bottom plate 2 I, to dropfreely to the ground.

The bottom plate II which constitutes the sole means for directlysupporting the weight of a load I, is preferably formed of durable sheetare fixedly supported from the cross-beam It by means of outwardlyinclined struts II. A pair of cable sheaves 53 are mounted on a shaft l4carried by the upper end of an L-shaped arm I the lower end ofwhichisattachedtotheearsllby a pivot pin it, and the shaft I4 is provided withrollers II which'are adapted to travel along the tracks 5!. The sheavesI are therefor rollable along the tracks I, and when these sheaves areadvanced upwardly along the tracks, the plate II is tilted about itspivot shaft 23 and dumps the material resting thereon, forwardly overthe blade '28. The front apron 18 has a single cable sheave 5|Journalled between its front flanges ll by means of a shaft 50, and isadapted to be fully elevated, or partially raised, or completelylowered, as shown in the drawings. The upper forward ends of the railsii are connected with the metal, and is abundantly reinfor'ced'by ribsll and a transverse topbeam 42. .The plate II is swingable between theside walls II of the frame I! about the pivot shaft 2!, and when thebottom plate is in load receiving and supporting position, the upperbeam 42 coasts with, the rear frame beam ll. The upper portion of therear wall 24 is provided with integral ears ll, and the crossbeam is ofthe rear frame ll may be provided with an upwardly and forwardlyinclined stiff plate 48 extending entirely across the top of the bottomplate II and cooperating with the rear wall thereof, to prevent materialfrom spilling over the beam II and to also direct the rising materialforwardly into the loading space. The lower cross-beam H of the rearframe I! should be of extremely rigid construction, and the cuttingblade 28 may be detachably secured to this beam in any suitable manner.

The front apron II which spans the gap between the side walls I! of theframe l3, may be constructed of sheet metal and has a lower reinforcededge portion 48 which is cooperable with the blade 28 to confine theload ll within the scraper. This front apron 25 is provided with rigidears 8, and the side arms Ii which swingstruts if by means of a rigidbracket ll in which the shaft II is Journalled, and four alined sheavesO! are rotatably supported by the shaft I. An equalizer sheave 83 ismounted upon the-medial portion of the blade elevating and loweringlever 20, by means of a Journal shaft 64; and a single continuous cable65 coacts with all of the sheaves ii, 62, SI, 53, in such manner that apull on the cable at will first elevate the apron II and will thereaftertilt the plate II. The cable II t after coacting with the equalizingsheave ll, ex-

tends over one of the sheaves 0, beneath one of the sheaves 1| andforwardly to an actuating winch, ordinarily located on the propellingtractor. Y

The front andrear frames II. II which are articulably connected by thepivot shafts it, may be swung relatively to each other about thesepivots, by means of another flexible cable II. This cable 13 extendsfrom the winch on the tractor, rearwardly. between the vertical guiderollers H, over a horizontal guide roller 12, and after winding aboutthe remaining complemmtary sets of front sheaves N, II, the cable 18passes through a cable clamp II and connects with a cable supply roll.The sheave it is moimtedon ashaft llcarriedbythefrontswinginl end of thelever 20, and the sheave fl is mounted upon a shaft ll carried by thefront frame II: and the cooperation between the cable II and the sheaves6!,- IQ is such that when a pull is exerted on this cable, the lever IIwill he owns! about its pivot ll from the position shown in Fig. 1 tothat shown in Pig. 2. thereby elevating the cutting blade 28 away fromthe ground. when the pull on the cable 13 is released, the weight of therear frame I! and plate ll will cause the blade to move downwardlyeither to the position shown in Fig.1, or to some intermediate positionsuch as shown in I'll. 3. de-

-pendent upon the complete or partial release of ably support the apronII are abruptly curved in order to clear other movable parts and toavoid interference by the load ll to lowering movement of the apron.

The mechanism for effecting actuation of the load supporting plate 2iand of the front apron 2! so as to swing these parts about theirrespective suspension pivots 23, 21, may comprise a' single cable forelevating both the plate and apron in proper sequence. The rear frame Itis preferably provided with a pair of upwardly and forwardly inclinedtracks II the lower ends of which are rigidly attached to and supportedby the transverse plate 48, and the upper ends of which the pull. Thetwo cables 0|, 1! are manipulable independentLv of each other, and mayalso be independently renewed.

During normal operation of the improved scraper, the front and rearframes II, It may be relatively adjusted so as to either lower the blade28 inthe groundas showninrimlforloading purposes; or the blade may beelevated to the position shown in Fig. 2 for load carrying purposes; orthe frames may be relatively positioned as in Fig. 3 for discharging andapreadingpurposes. when the ammblageis in the position showninFig. 1 andthe scraperis advancedalml the ground, the load II will enter the spaceabove the plate II andwill pile up within theload carryingzone.Iftheloadreachesaheightabova the rear wall I! of the bottom plate fl,then the inclined stationary plate 48 will become effective to preventspilling of earth and to direct the excess material forwardly over theplate 2|. any dirt which escapes along the oppomte sides of the bottomplate 2| or over the rear extension 21 thereof, will obviously fallfreely to the ground since the bottom plate II is in fact the only loadsustaining element in the assemblage. During scraping operation, thefront apron 25 may be elevated to the position shown in Fig. l, or toany greater height, and as the load ll mamalates upon the plate 2i andwithin the loading sone it is preferable to gradually lower the apron 28so as to most eflectiveiy confine. the material.

When the plate 2| has been'properly loaded with earth, the front apronIl may be lowered into engagement with the blade 28, and the em tireload may be elevated from the ground as shown in Fig. 2. In order toaccomplish this it is only necessary to release the cable so as topermit the apron to drop by gravity. A pull may then be exerted upon thecable 13 so as to cause the lever 10 to swing from the position shown inFig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2, and the scraper and its confinedload ll may then be transported along the ground until it becomesdesirable to discharge the load from above the plate 2i.

In order to discharge and to simultaneously spread'the load 40, it ispreferable to somewhat lower the cutting blade 28 to the position shownin Fig. 3. and this may be done by releasing the tension on the cable13. when the blade 2! has been properly positioned, the cable 13 may beheld, and the cable Il may then be actuated to first elevate the frontapron ll to a desired position, and to thereafter tilt the bottom plateII to the position shown in Fig. 3. During such tilting of the bottomplate, the rollers II will ride along the track 5! and will cause thelink to positively tilt the bottom plate it. As this plate is tilted,the load 0 will be gradually delivered over the blade 28 onto theground, and the dirt will be simultaneously spread as the scraper unitis advanced along the groimd.

From the foregoing detailed description it will of several cables. andthe use of the lever a mounted on the front frame II and coacting withthe foremost portion of the rear frame I 3, provides simple andeffective means for cbanginl the elevation of the blade 28. This blade28 may obviously be supported either on the cross-beam H, or directly onthe tiltable bottom 2|. When.

the plate 2! is in' lowermost position, it is rigidly supported by therear beams It, II, and the front beam l6 besides providing a rigidsupport for the rails or tracks Bl also provides means for cooporationwith the elevating lever 29., The entire assemblage is extremely strongand rigid and will effectively withstand considerable abuse, and

. the improved machine has proven highly satisfactory in actualcommercial use.

It should be understood that itis not desired to limit this invention tothe exact details of construction or to the precise mode of use, hereinshown and described, for various modifications within the scope ofthe-claims may occur to persons skilled in the art,

I claim: 1. In combination, articul'ably interconnected frames, a bowland scraper blade carried by one of said frames, cable actuated meansfor controlling the discharge of dirt'from said bowl, a lever pivotedintermediate its length to the other frame, the inner end of said leverbeing atticulably connected to said bowl frame, an equalizer sheavemeans carried by said lever adjacent the pivotal connection thereof,sheaves carried by the outer end ofsaid lever, sheaves carried by saidlever-carrying frame below the sheaves carried by the outer end of saidlever, a bowl actuating cable extending beneath said equalizer sheavemeans, over one of the sheaves on the outer end of said lever andbeneath one of the sheaves on the lever-carrying frame, and a secandcable. ccacting with another one of the last lower said lever andthereby raise and lower the scraper blade.

2. In combination, ar'ticulably interconnected frames, a bowl andscraper blade carried by one .of said frames, cable actuated means forcon trolling the discharge'oi dirt from said bowL'a lever pivotedintermediate its length to the other frame, the inner end of said leverbeing articulably connected to said bowl frame, an equalizer sheaverotatably mounted adjacent to the pivotal connection of said lever,sheaves carried by the outer end of said lever, sheaves car ried by saidlever-carrying frame below the.

sheaves carried by the outer end of said lever, a bowl actuating cableextending beneath said equalizer sheave, over one of the sheaves on theouter end of said lever and beneath one of the sheaves on thelever-carrying frame, and a sec-- ond cable coacting with another one ofthe lastmentioned sheaves and with one of the sheaves on the forwardportion of the lever to raise and lower said lever and thereby raise andlower the scraper blade.

3. In combination, articulably interconnoted frames, abowl and scraperblade carried by one of said frames, cable actuated means forcontrolling the discharge of dirt from said bowl, a lever pivoted to theother frame, the inner end of said lever being articulably connected tosaid bowl frame, an equaliser sheave adjacent the pivotrl connection ofsaid lever, sheaves carried by the. outer end of said lever, sheavescarried by said lever-carrying frame below the sheaves carlied by theouter end of said lever, a bowl actusting cable extending beneath saidequaliner sheave-over one of the sheaves on the outer end of said leverand beneath one of the sheaves on the lever-carrying frame, and a secondcable coacting with another one of the last mentioned sheaves and withone of the sheaves on the forward portion of the lever to raise andlower said lever and thereby raise and lower the scraperbkde 1 v d. Incombination, articulabiy interconnected frames, a bowl and scraper bladecarried by one of said frames, cable actuated means for controlling thedischarge of dirt from said bowl, a lever pivoted to the other frame,the inner end of said lever being articulably connected to said bowlframe, an equalizer sheave carried by said lever adjacent the pivotalconnection thereof, sheaves carried by the outer end of said lever,sheaves carried by said lever-carrying frame below the sheaves carriedby the outer end of said lever, a bowl actuating cable extending beneathsaid equalizer sheave, over one of the sheaves on the outer end of saidlever and beneath one of the sheaves on the lever carrying frame, and asecond cable coacting with another one of the last mentioned sheaves andwith one of the sheaves on the forward portion of the lever to raise andlower said lever and thereby raise and lower the scraper blade.

5. In combination, articulably interconnected frames, a bowl and scraperblade carried by one of the said frames, cable actuated means forcontrolling the discharge of dirt from said bowl, a lever pivoted to theother frame, the inner end of said lever being articulably connected tosaid bowl frame, an equalizer sheave rotatably carried adjacent thepivotal connection of said lever, a sheave carried by the outer end ofsaid lever, a sheave carried by the lever-carrying frame, abowl-actuating cable extending beneath said equalizer sheave andcoacting with the sheave on the outer end of the lever and with thesheave on the lever-carrying frame, and separate means for controllingthe raising and lowering of said lever to raise and lower the scraperblade.

6. In combination, articulably interconnected frames, a bowl and scraperblade carried by one of said frames, cable actuated means forcontrolling the discharge of dirt from said bowl, a lever pivoted to theother frame, the inner end of said lever being articulably connected tosaid bowl frame, an equalizer sheave rotatably carried by said leveradjacent the pivotal connection of said lever, a sheave carried by theouter end of said lever, a sheave carried by the levercarrying frame, abowl actuating cable extending beneathsaid equalizer sheave and coastingwith the sheave on the outer end of the lever and with the sheave on thelever-carrying frame, and separate means for controlling the raising andlowering of said lever to raise and lower the scraper blade.-

7. In combination, articulably interconnected frames, a bowl and scraperblade carried by one of said frames, cable actuated means forcontrolling the discharge of dirt from said bowl, a lever pivoted to theother frame, the inner end 4 of said lever being articulably connectedto said bowl frame, an equalizer sheave rotatably carried adjacent thepivotal connection of said lever, a sheave carried by the outer end ofsaid lever, a sheave carried by the lever-carrying frame, a

.bowl actuating cable extending beneath said equalizer sheave andcoacting with the sheave on the outer end of the lever and with thesheave on the lever-carrying frame, and additional cable controlledmeans coacting with the outer end of the lever and with the levercarrying frame for raising and lowering the lever to raise and lower thescraper blade.

HENRY C. FRENCH.

